Machine for trimming the seams of garments



(No Mom.)`

y N. H. BRUCE. MAHINB FOR TRIMMING THE SEAMS OF GARMENTS, (50.

No. 257,286. Patented May 2 11382.,

` 2 sheets-sheet 2.

UNITED ASrirrizs ATENT Ormes.,

NORMAN lI. BRUCE, F TEST TROY, NEW yYORK.

MAQH'INE Foe TniMMlNe THE seams or eARMeN-rs., ete.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,286, dated May2.1882.

A Application filed March 20. 1,852. (Xo model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN H. BRUCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Troy, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have-invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Trimming the' Seams of Garments and other Sewed Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to amachine for trimming the loose and 'rough edges oi the seams of sewed 4articles-such, for example, as the seams of knitted underwear.

The Object rwhich I have in *View is to provide- 'anfiinproved guide which shall be efiicient infgn'idin the article to be trimmed to the .knive n which-shall also serve to hold lethe article is .being out.; also, f .improved centering-guide which sha'ltltheifs'esm alud actin conjunction with t-li'eretaining-gide to guide the article to be trimmed-tothe-knives, and also to hold theV same while 'it is being cut; finally, to provide certain improvements in the details of constructionof-parts, all of which are hereinafter fully described, and illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa perspective view of my improved machine. Fig. 2 isa front-elevation of vthe same.- 4Fig 3 isa detail view, showing the retaining-guide. Fig. is an edge View, and Fig. 5 a perspective view, of the centeringguide that is located in the retaining-guide.'

Fig. 6 isaverti'cal section takenthrough one v ofthe standards for supporting the drivingl mounted the standards vB B, provided at their shaft, and illustrates the way in shaft is lubricated. v

Upon a suitable base or bed plate,'A, are

top ends with boxes orbearings for the drivingshaft. This driving-shaft carries a fly-wheel, C, for equalizing the motion of the machinery, and it is further provided with the fast and loose pulleys G 02, to'which the driving-belt can be alternately applied for the purpose of applying power on for disconnecting the shaft from the motor.

The reciprocating knife-bar D, that carries a knife for trimming the edges of the fabric, is

' reciprocated by means'of a pitman, D', which is swiveled at its upper end-upon 'a wrist-pin located eccentrically on the enlarged frontend which the t of the driving-shaft, the lower end of said pitman being provided with a sind or pin, which enters a socket, d, formed in the reciprocating knife-bar. VThis reciprocating knife-bar slides in a dovetailedway formed in a hea-d, B. A wear-plate, b', that is interposed between the knife-bar and one of the beveled walls oit' the dovetailed way in the head, can adjusted by means oi' the set-screws-bl for the purpose of taking up the wear.

E refers to the retaining-guides, in which the article to be trimlnedisinserted and moves forward to the knives. This retaining-guide consists ofapairof spring-plates or of a single plate bent so asv to form a pair of springleaves. As a means for holdin g the retainingguides in proper relative position to the knives, the said spring-plates are connected with a plate, e, that is provided with slots andadjus'tably secured upon a supporting-bracket, F, by means of set-screwsff, passing through said slots into the bracket. This bracket can be supported upon the bed-plate in auy suitable wayas, for example, by adapting it to be adjustably connected to a support, F', (see Fig. 2,) that is secured upon the bed plate,this 'adjustability on the part of the bracket admitting of the'retuining-guide being readily set at the required height. The support F' will be conveniently formed ot' angle-iron, and formed with/a slot through which the bolt that secures it to the bed-plate will pass, the reby admitting of the adjustment ofthe support in order to bring itint'o the required position.

ever, to vary the distance between them so as to adapt the retainin -guide'to sewed articles of various thickness. o'such end these springleaves can be brought more or less closely together by means of apair of tightening-nuts, G, arranged to bear upon the out-er sides-of the spring-leaves, and iitted upon a screw-threaded rod, g, which passes through the said springleaves and extends ont from the same, so as to receive ythe nuts. V

As the loose and rough edges. of stitched fabrics have a tendency to curl up along their seams, as illustrated in Fig. 3, in which H in 4dientes the stitched fabric before it has'been The spring-leaves of the retaining-guide E are normally spread apart by their individual spring action. It is sometimes necessary,how-

IOO

' of these ribs edges of the'leaves and trimmed, I vthicken or rib the inner the spring-leaves ol' the retaining-guides along their front edges. as at g', and alongeach one or Athickened portions, I form an inwardly-projecting lip or liange, I, wherebya space will he provided between such lip and the.springle.if for receiving the curled edge of the fabric.

A centering-guide,J, located between the spring-leaves of' the retaining-guide, is adjustably secured toa bracket, K, which is in turn connected with u support, 7.'. This support can be formed simrllr tothe support F and adjustablysecur. d. to the bed-plate in a like manner. The center ing-guide J, which centers and guides the seazn within the retaining-guide, is provided with a wedge-shaped front edge, j, and having' a lli-xible metal plate bent into V shape and secured thereto, so as to form the wedgeshapcd front edge, 7'. rI`he spring-plate j is formed at its rear end with slots Jlor the screws j", that secure itv to the bracket, whereby the centering-guide can be adjusted hori- 'zontally within the retaining-guident order to bring their front edges into the required relative. position. The' centeringguide can also he adjusted ve: tically by means-of the adjustable connection of the bracket towhich it is secured with the support 1k, upholding said bracket. When the stitched article to be trimmed is inserted in the retaining-guide the wedge-shaped front edge ofthe centeringguidc will enter the seam and spread apart the :two thicknesses ot' the material, and the edges of the lutter willeurl into the spaces between 1the\lips I andthe 4spii'n,g;-lcavcs of the retaining-guide. `'lhese spring-leaves of the retaining-guidevconverge in the direction of the knives, so that,while ample space is afforded at one end-ot' the guide for the insertion ofthe stitched fabric, itiwillbc seen that as the said article is moved along the retaining-guide -to.

.ward the knives it will be more closely confined within the narrower portion of the rctaining-guide that is formed by thc said con- Vergence of'its two spring 1eaves, the two thicknesses being retained lbetween the ribbed the wedge-shaped centering-guide with the curled loose edges of the fabric received in the space between the lips I and the leaves ofthe retaining-guide. It will of course be understood that the operator will `hold the seam within the retaining-guide and well upto the knife-edge ofthe centcrin g-guide, and that 'these guides assist such operation.

L indicatesthe reciljnoeating knife thatis secured to the knil'ebar, and M refers tothe stationary knife that is attached to a vertical portion, u, of a plate, N, that is formed with slots for the bolts or set-screws u', which sccure it to the bed-plate, whereby it can be adjusted upon the latter in order to bring the knife M close to the knife carried lby the knifebar. These knives are formed with their cutting-edges inclined in opposite'dir'ections, so

- that when the upper movable knife has reached the highest point in its upward-movement the sides of two cutting-edges will 'pushed inwardly `or under converge in a direction away from the guides. The knives are adjusted so that after the upper knife has been raised to the highest point, as justmentioned, the point of convergence of the two cutting-edges will be at the lower corner of the cutting-edge of the movable knife and the upper corner of the cutting edge ot' the stationary knife, the cutting-edges meeting at this point, above which the movable knife cannot be raised. Hence, although the upper knife reciprocates with great rapidity, yet the above meeting of the knives at the highest point in the upstroke ol' the knife-bar will prevent the operator from pushing the ytrimmed edge .of the fabric inwardly and under the knives. Thus it will be seen that the trimmed edge will, as the fabric is moved along, be at the outer side ofthe cutters at their said meeting corners, and hence said meeting corners will form a barrier which will prevent the fabric from being accidentally the cuttingedges. It mayhappcn that the operator will, during the operation of trimming, draw the fabric forward tooj rapidly u'pon the knives, so that itwill be cutwith a somewhat'ragged edge. To avoid this the end Jfofthece'ntering-guideisextended beyond the relai ning guide, so as to project a short distance slightly inthe path ofthe upper reciprocating knife. Hence, as thel upper reciprocating knife is completing its downstroke the upper corner of its inclined cuttingedge4 is acting upon the thickness of the fabric lying over the free end J2 l guide,and will fail tooutthe fabric, theelasticity ofthe centeringguideallowin r it to yield to the pressure of the knife without presenting sufcient resistance to admit'of the fabric being reversed. Upper thickness of the fabric will thus be held between the upper-knifeedge and the freeend of the centeringguide until the said knife has completed its downstroke, and it will also be thus held during a portion of the upstroke ofthe knife, the centering-guide, as

vthe knife ascends, returning to its normal po- IIO si-tion by reason of its individual spring .ac-

tion.

ln order to lubricate the driving-shaft in its bearings, I form a bore or chamber, P, in the upper end ot' each one of the standards B,

and within each of such chambers place a sucient quantity of lubricating-oil, with a wick,

R, for conductingthe oil. up to the shaft. In this way the shaft can be lubricated without any danger of the oil flying off from the same and spattering over the work. y, Y

WhatI claim is l y y l; In a machine for trimming the seams of sewcd articles,`a retaining-guide adapted 'to hold' and direct the articletobe trimmed to the cutting-knives, and composed of a pai'rof spring plates or leaves, with an intermediate space for receiving the scam, substantially as described.

2. In a; machine for trimming the seams of 'sewed articles, the retaining-guide E, provided with the lip I, extending inwardly from its front edges, so as to leave a space between the upper and lower walls of `the guide and the said lips for receiving the curled loose edges of the sewed article, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for trimmingthe seams of sewed articles, the retaining-guide E, located in position to direct the article to be trimmed to the knives, and formed with its inner walls converging toward the knives, substantially as' described.

4. In a machine for .trimming the seams of sewed articles, the retaining-guide E, 1ocated and adapted to'direct the article to be trimmed to the knives, and comprising a pair of springleaves with a screw threaded rod passing through the said leaves, and the tighteningnuts itted upon said rod for the purpose of contracting the guide when desired, substantially as described...

5.' In a machine for trimming the seams of.

sewed articles, a sprin g centering-guide, J, located within the retaining-guide and adapted to enter between the loose portions of the seam, substantially as described.

6. The combination, in a machine for trimming seams, of the retaining-guide E, having the inwardly-projecting lips I, with centeringguide J, having a wedge-shaped front' edge and located within the retainingguide, substantially as described.

. 7. The combination, in a machine for trimming seams, of a g'uide for directing the articie to be trimmed to the knives, with the centerin gguide located within the retainin g-guide, and composed of a spring-plate, j', with` a flexible metal strip bent'into V shape and secured to said plate to form the lwedge-shaped front edge of the guide, substantially as described.

8. The combination, in a machine for trimming the seams of sewed articles, of the reciprocatin g knife having an inclined cutting-edge, with the spring centering-guided extended slightly in the path of the knife, whereby the article that is being` trimmed will be caught and held between the guide and the knife during a portion of the movements ot' the latter, substantially as described.

9.- The combination, in a machine for trimming the seams of sewed articles, of the knives, with the horizontallyadjustable retaining- ,guide E, and the adjustable centering-guide J, located Within the retaining-guide, substantially as described. t.

In testimony whereof .I have hereunto set my -hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- NORMAN H: BRUCE. Witnesses:

J AMES L. Nonnls, I -v J AMES A. RUTHERFoRD. 

